Accessing Healthcare Services Among Deaf Students: A Case Study of the Savelugu School for the Deaf, Northern Region-Ghana

Akuvi Amenyeku ORCID iD, Mary Asare Boafoa ORCID iD, Benjamin Nyarko ORCID iD  & Mansuru Iddrisu

Issue: Vol.4  No. 6 November 2023  Article 1 pp. 102 -109
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2023461   |   Published online 27th November, 2023.
© 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Individuals with disabilities are among the most disadvantaged in many communities. There are pieces of evidence that individuals with disabilities across the globe face distinctive obstacles when accessing healthcare facilities, and have worse health outcomes than people without disabilities. The purpose of the study was to explore access to healthcare services by students at Savelugu School for the Deaf in the Savelugu Municipality in Northern Region, Ghana. Purposive sampling was used to select fourteen (14)  students for the study, five (5) girls and nine (9) boys. Data for the study was gathered through face-to-face in-depth interviews using semi- structured interview guide. Thematic analysis was performed on the interview data after it had been transcribed, coded, and analyzed. The analysis of the data showed that the most significant obstacles to students’ access to healthcare services were communication barriers. Participants were optimistic that when provisions like sign language use by healthcare providers and other health workers as well as the use of interpreters are made available at various health facilities, access to healthcare would improve. Based on the findings, the study recommended that teachers in the school should encourage students to visit approved healthcare facilities for healthcare services instead of visiting native doctors and prayer camps for treatment. The Ministry of Health (MoH) in collaboration with other stakeholders should introduce sign language education in the curriculum of health training institutions so health practitioners can properly assist persons with hearing disability to access proper health care. This study adds to the existing literature on challenges faced by persons with disabilities in accessing healthcare across Ghana and the globe.

Keywords: Deaf Persons, Healthcare Services, Healthcare Providers, Ghana.

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Akuvi Amenyeku is a Tutor and Head of the Education Department at the Bagabaga College of Education, Northern Region, Ghana. She holds a Master of Philosophy as well as a Master of Education in Special Education. Her research interests are in Deaf education, Techniques in teaching and learning, and Deaf and societal support.

Mary Asare Boafoa is a Tutor and Unit Head at the Bagabaga College of Education, Northern Region, Ghana. She holds a Master of Philosophy as well as a Master of Education in Special Education. Her research interests are in Deaf education, Techniques in teaching and learning, and Support services for the deaf.

Benjamin Nyarko is a Tutor and Academic Counselor at the Bagabaga College of Education, Tamale-Ghana. He holds a Bachelor Degree and a Master of Philosophy, all in Educational Psychology. His research interests are in Adolescent education and behaviours, Teaching and learning, Special Education and Student Development.

Mansuru Iddrisu is a Tutor at the Bagabaga College of Education, Tamale-Ghana. He holds a Master of Education in Psychology. He is currently pursuing a Master of Philosophy in Educational Psychology. His research interests are in human development and children’s learning.

Amenyeku, Akuvi, Asare, Mary Boafoa, Nyarko, Benjamin & Iddrisu, Mansuru.”Accessing Healthcare Services Among Deaf Students: A Case Study of the Savelugu School for the Deaf, Northern Region-Ghana.” Journal of Education and Learning Technology 4, no.6 (2023): 102 -109.  https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2023461

© 2023 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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